


The Beast Protector of the Cast-Off Shell

by KC_R



Series: The Beast!Hornet AU [3]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Beast!Hornet AU, Gen, Ghost is baby; as always, Hornet is sad :(, Hornet with her sibling, I don't know what else to tag this one, chase scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 12:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30105981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KC_R/pseuds/KC_R
Summary: Ghost continues their journey and finally finds the Kingdom's Edge. Hornet is not amused, and wishes they would go anywhere else.
Relationships: Hornet & The Knight (Hollow Knight)
Series: The Beast!Hornet AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2201559
Comments: 14
Kudos: 27





	The Beast Protector of the Cast-Off Shell

After hours and hours of searching, they had finally found the Kingdom’s Edge, the Ashen place, where their “father’s cast-off shell” laid in permanent rest. They had ventured through the entirety of the Kingdom, had fought their kin in the Ancient Basin, and the Soul Master in the Capital, and had even collected the Dreamnail and the Crystal Heart. They were ready to face Hornet, and then deface their father’s grave.

The entrance they found was a small hole in the wall of the King’s Station, a hole that was just big enough for them to squeeze through. The water was cold and uncomfortable on their carapace, urging them to hurry ahead or turn back. They hurried past belflies, smashing open a jar containing a Grub, before finally entering the Kingdom’s Edge.

Ash drifts through the air, occasional corpses falling from above and either hitting platforms on their way down, or landing in the lake of acid below. Large bugs with six legs and small wings hover lazily in the air, despite one of their pack being in the hands of a much larger predator.

Hornet’s legs and four of her arms kept her suspended in the canyon as she broke the shell of the bug open, burying her claws into it and pulling its flesh out, which she promptly shoved into her mouth. Occasionally, a body would fall and land on her, and she would simply place it next to her on a slowly growing pile, no doubt food for later. Her back is arched forward, likely due to her years of living in caverns much too small for her, and her makeshift cloak hands around her body, covered in ash.

Her eyes, which sweep across the area with an intensity that could kill a lesser bug, lands on Ghost, and she lets out a hiss as she drops the rest of the large bug’s corpse into the acid pool below. She slinks down so that her mask is level with them 

“Little Ghost.” She growls, claws tightening their grips on the platforms and walls around them, effectively trapping them against the wall. “This land is not for your eyes. I am correct in assuming you do not wish to die. You should turn tail and run, explore any other area of this decrepit Kingdom, and once you are done, leave.” She hisses. Ghost goes into a stance, flashing pink for a moment as crystals form at their feet.

Hornet tightens her grip on the ledges and hisses. “Little Ghost. If you even dare to try something, I will not hesitate to crush you.” Completely ignoring what she said, they unleashed their crystal dash, slamming into the crack in Hornet’s mask at full force. She let out a screech of pain as she, and Ghost, tumbled down the canyon and into the pit of acid below.

Oops. Maybe that was a little too much.

Thankfully, the magic provided by Isma’s tear protects them from the acid. Also thankfully, but also perhaps, unfortunately, Hornet’s near-impenetrable shell is also protected from acid. Ghost jumps out of the acid, quickly working on their ascent to where Hornet was guarding, only for a large hand to slam into the platform they had been standing on not even a moment before. Hornet scrambles up after them, and the large bugs that had gathered around her earlier are now flying as fast as they can in an attempt to get out of the way. Those who are not fast enough get swatted out of the air as Hornet climbs, smashing random platforms in an attempt to stop Ghost’s ascent. 

They leap over the pile of corpses and dash into the next room, barely dodging Hornet’s hand as it crashes down on the pile, effectively flattening the armored bodies. The next room consists of a pool of acid, that’s all they can see, but with an angry Hornet right behind them, they have no choice but to dive in, right as one of Hornet’s hands swipe at them, and then slam into the wall above the acid pool. The rock crumbles, almost crushing them as they quickly swim underneath it, and when they emerge on the other side, Hornet has already squeezed herself through the tunnel and is clawing desperately at the walls, pulling herself into the room. She collapsed into the pool of acid, but her hand wraps around a large root and she uses it to pull herself up and out.

The prey and predator bugs in the next room panic and flee as Hornet crawls through. She swipes at Ghost right as they use their monarch wings, another hand grabbing at them as they use their mothwing cloak, but a third arm lunges forward and grabs them, yanking them back to Hornet. 

“You bastard grub! I warned you, and you defied me.” She hisses, before tightening her grip on their body. They unleash their cyclone slash, cutting at Hornet’s hand and causing her to momentarily let go of them. They use this opportunity to great slash her mask. She lets out another scream of pain, clutching at her mask while she swings wildly, hitting Ghost and sending them flying across the room. They don’t look a gift-stag in the mouth and quickly climb into the next room. 

She’s already back on her feet, pushing into the room, but they’ve thought ahead, unleashing a crystal dash and crossing the room with ease. Hornet lunges forward after them, crashing into the wall just seconds after they dashed downwards. She swings for them but barely misses, and begins trying to squeeze herself into the tunnel after Ghost, even though the tunnel is incredibly cramped. In one last attempt to stop them, she lunges forward and bites down, snagging the end of Ghost’s cloak and tearing it off.

They quickly escape into the next room and keep on moving, despite the fact that Hornet has become stuck and can no longer chase them. “Ghost! Turn back now! You cannot leave without facing me, and I will only let you leave alive if you stop now!” She hisses, though her voice is pleading. 

Ghost stops for a moment, but their curiosity gets the better of them, and they venture onward, and into the Cast-Off Shell. It has a group of horn-like protrusions, like those in the statue of the King in the Ancient Basin, and is made of scales and plates, slowly decaying and breaking off. They almost gag at the realization that the snow flowing through the air of the Kingdom’s Edge is just flakes of rotting skin. A strange wind seems to blow from inside, beckoning them to head further and go deeper, and so they wander inside without hesitation.

White roots grow through the sides of the shell, which has been completely picked dry of any meat, only chitin left. At the far end of the corpse is an egg-like object, broken open and protected by a strange seal. They reach past it, finding that the spell doesn’t affect them, but the moment they breach it, there is an explosion of energy that sends them flying back a few feet. They pull themselves to their feet, just in time to see a large chunk of rock and chitin fall in front of them, crushing the egg. They quickly turn heel and attempt to charge up another crystal dash, but the machine sputters, failing them at the moment they need it most.

They use their mothwing cloak instead, dashing frantically forward until they’re more than out of breath as the shell collapses around them. A pile of rotten skin collapses in front of them, blocking them, and a moment later, a large rock falls on top of them.

They assume they’re dead, until they feel a large hand wrap around them and drag them out of the wreckage. Now that they know they aren’t dead, they assume they are going to die. Not at the hands of some heavy rocks, but instead in the hands of their gigantic, angry sister. Instead, they are dropped haphazardly onto the ground, and Hornet crawls away into the other corner of the room, with tears larger than their entire body running down her mask.

Oh. They’ve fucked up. 

They get to their feet and quickly close the distance between them and Hornet, and she pulls herself further into the corner with every step they take. “Leave.” She hisses, but they ignore it and approach her, batting at Hornet’s cloak until they can feel her midsection, and then they wrap their arms around her as best they can. Her body is too large for them to fully hug, but they try their best. Hornet pries them off and holds them in her open hand before collapsing onto the ground, sobbing loudly.

“I said leave. Why don’t you ever listen to me? I want to be alone.” She growls, but they ignore her warning and hug one of her fingers, which they can successfully hug the entirety of. She lets out another growl but it dies in her throat, replaced by a choked sob. 

“That… was the last thing I had to remember him by. His colossal husk, that reminded me that I was normal, that there were other bugs like me. And now… you’ve ruined it, destroyed it, taken the last of my belongings and ground them to dust.” She cries, burying the tip of her head into the ash, the tears soaking into them and making them flow away, her large eyes red with despair and depression.

They want to say they’re sorry, or that they didn’t mean to, or that they didn’t know that would happen, but they can’t. Even if they could, they wouldn’t. They feel the burning on their chest where the magic had hit them, and they pull up the ends of their cloak to see a brand burned into their shell, the same brand that’s on the colossal door in the Ancient Basin. They’ve almost explored every inch of this Kingdom, they wouldn’t have stopped themself from exploring this.

Hornet’s teary eyes land on the brand and she examines it closely, holding Ghost still with another of her hands. “I suppose that makes you the King of Hallownest. You could do it, if you had the will. I see in you a great strength, but could you raise your nail once knowing its tragic conception? And knowing yourself? I know not, I know not even myself.” She whimpers. “Leave me, Ghost. Leave me to mourn my losses.”

Ignoring her demand, Ghost walked closer to her and hugged her again, causing their large sister to let out another broken sob. “If you… you truly refuse to leave me alone, then let us at least go elsewhere.” She says, after a long while. She huffs, blowing ash off of her mask. She hugs Ghost’s small form to her chest and begins her ascent out of the half-collapsed tunnel, leaving the large pile of ash behind. 

She carried herself and her smaller sibling until she reached an alcove just below the Colosseum of Fools, pulling the two of them into the safe space. Ghost cuddled up to her as best as they could and quickly fell asleep, tired from a long day of almost getting crushed. She used another of her hands to wipe her tears away. Her sibling, the King of Hallownest, was tired, and she needed to protect them at all costs, but deep down, another part of her mind reveled in the idea of being able to protect her family. 

She looked at Ghost in her hand, their small, literally bite-sized form, with soft chitin and a fragile mask. So soft, so defenseless, how had they survived this long? How were they still in one piece, and how had they managed to best her twice?

She hugged them to her chest, shielding them with her mask. Perhaps things could be different now, perhaps she could just relax for a time, and protect her sibling. Yes, that was a good idea. She smiled, soon drifting off to sleep, and for the first time in years, her dreams were peaceful and kind.

**Author's Note:**

> When I think of chase scenes my mind either goes to Ori or Rayman: Origins.


End file.
